The Fight Against Fur!

Anti Fur protestors have been very common during London Fashion Week that wrapped up a few days ago, the most publicised protest being on the runway at Mary Katrantzou’s show. Although there was no fur in this seasons collection, she has been known to feature fur in the past.

These days the trend is to be ethical and sustainable, where consumers are more aware of how garments are made and what they are made of, wanting their hard earned money to go towards companies that share their values. Whether the sacrifice of animals is worth the ethical and environmental costs is why we have seen many designer brands transition to fur free.

Tom Ford said “I have started using much more fake fur. I’m not yet ready to say that I’m fur-free. Now, however, I have limited the fur in these collections and, going forward, [I’m using only] food byproducts […] That means cowhide, it means shearling, it means not doing fur that is raised purely for its pelt […] No mink, no fox.”

Chief executive and president of Gucci, Marco Bizzarri, commented about fur saying that it is out-dated. Changing to fur free targets towards the ethically minded customers, who are estimated to be over 40% of customers to the brand, as well as potential employees to ensure that the best are more likely to work for and represent the company.

Michael Kors commented in late 2017 “due to technological advances in fabrications, we now have the ability to create a luxe aesthetic using non-animal fur.”

Many designer brands have turned 100% fur free such as Georgia Armani, Michael Kors, Bottega Veneta, Hugo Boss, Gucci and Ralph Lauren, opting for a more sustainable and ethical sourcing of their fabrics and garment materials.

Sadly, there are still designer brands like Dolce and Gabbana who continue to use animal fur in their collections. As this wave of ethical practices continues throughout the designer fashion industry, we hope that many more continue to make the change to fur free.